Secondary conditions and life satisfaction among polio survivors

Health Perceptions and Quality of Life among Low-Income Adults

Marginalized populations may be predisposed to poor health outcomes due to health dis parities. Although much of the research on health and quality of life is from the perspective of the impact of clinical diagnosis, there is a need for more diverse inquiries and recognition of the individuals' perceptions and preferences. The present study examined the importance of an individual's perception of his or her current health in predicting quality of life over and beyond the presence of physical or mental health conditions. The sample included 150 low-income adults, of which 84.7 percent were African American and 15.4 percent were of another minority race or ethnicity. Participants had an average monthly income of $703. Having a better perception of health was significantly associated with increased quality of life scores. Subjective perceptions of current health were a better predictor of quality of life than the presence of a serious physical or mental health condition. The article ends with a discussion of appropriate interventions to improve health perceptions in similar populations predisposed to poor health outcomes.

Psychological resilience and depressive symptoms in older adults diagnosed with post-polio syndrome

Depression is a serious comorbidity in people with disabilities; however, few studies have focused on depressive symptoms in older adults with post-polio syndrome (PPS). This study used a resilience conceptual framework that focused on patient psychosocial strengths to investigate the relationship between psychological resilience factors (e.g., acceptance, self-efficacy, personal resources, interpersonal relationships, self-rated health, spiritual growth, stress management) and depressive symptoms in a large sample (N = 630) of people older than 65 years who were diagnosed with PPS. Forty percent of the sample scored > or = 10 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D10), which is a higher percentage than what has been previously cited in other studies; however, 53% of the sample had good or excellent self-rated health, suggesting psychological resilience. Depression scores were regressed on seven selected resilience factors after controlling for functional limitations. Four of the seven variables accounted for 30% of the variance in depressive symptoms, with spiritual growth representing the main predictor (beta = -.26). The implications for rehabilitation nurses in developing a patient-strengths perspective in the assessment and counseling of older adults with PPS are discussed.

Conceptualization and development of the Acceptance of Chronic Health Conditions Scale

Acceptance of chronic conditions often has been studied from the perspective of grief and loss. This paper presents a new conceptualization of acceptance of chronic conditions that is grounded in the perspective of those living with a chronic condition and focuses on adaptation to and acceptance of change in one's life. Data obtained from a sample of 822 persons with multiple sclerosis and a sample of more than 2,000 polio survivors support the reliability and validity of the new Acceptance of Chronic Health Conditions Scale.

Improving the health and wellness of persons with disabilities: A call to action too important for nursing to ignore

In 2005, the US Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities, with the goal being the improvement of the health status of men, women, and children with disabilities. Despite federal legislation to address inequities in health care for the 54-60 million people in the US with disabilities, many have reported negative experiences in their interactions with health care providers from all health professions. Collectively, the nursing profession has been silent in its response to this call. This article describes the current status of health care of individuals with disabilities in the US, and suggests appropriate responses by the nursing profession to the Surgeon General's Call to Action. Specific suggestions are identified for nursing practice, education, research, nursing leaderships, and the profession of nursing as a whole.